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Fall 2005

In this issue:In this issue:All about sealants

The language of constructionA “LEED”ing exampleConference highlights

Regional news

Pushing the Envelope 5

Pushing the EnvelopeA publication of the Ontario BuildingEnvelope CouncilFall 2005

Published For:OBEC685 McCowan RoadPO Box 66541Scarborough, ON M1J 3N8Phone: 416-438-2588Fax: [email protected]

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President & CEOJack Andress

PublisherMaurice LaBorde

Editor-in-ChiefShannon Lutter

EditorJon Waldman

Finance/AdministrationShoshana Weinberg, Pat Andress

Director of Marketing & CirculationJim Hamilton

Sales ManagerNeil Gottfred

Team LeadersAlbert Brydges, Andrew Bond

Matrix Group Inc. Account ExecutivesLewis Daigle, Declan O’Donovan, George Gibson, David Chew, Rick Kuzie,Pauline McRae, Ken Percival, Robert Sommerville, Vicki Sutton, Jason Wikis

Layout & DesignJ. Peters

Advertising DesignJames Robinson

2005/2006 Matrix Group Inc. All rightsreserved. Contents may not be reproducedby any means, in whole or in part, withoutthe prior written permission of thepublisher.

Messages:Message from OBEC President Peter Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Features:Sealants—Just Spaghetti and Meatballs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8OBEC Membership Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26OBEC Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Industry Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Where’s the Beef in Joint Sealants? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Restoration and Stabilization of a

Damaged and Deteriorated Church Bell Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Komuni-k-shions in Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35“Leed”ing by Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36OBEC President’s Award Gala Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3810th Annual Conference Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Regional Roundup

Capital Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Toronto & Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Southern Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41North by Northwest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Central Ontario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Buyer’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Table ofContents

Where’s “The Beckie” ContestSomewhere, hidden amongst the pages of this

issue of Pushing The Envelope can be found a tinyimage of the OBEC President’s Award (otherwiseknow as the “Beckie”). Be the first to fax a copy ofthe magazine page clearly identifying the location ofthe Beckie to the OBEC office and you win a prize.Please make sure that you provide contact informa-tion. Winners in the Toronto area will receive a freepass to an upcoming OBEC dinner seminar or theirchoice. Other winners will receive an OBEC gift.

If you are not familiar with the OBEC Presi-dent’s Award, please see the article on page 38.

OBEC does not specifically endorse the editorial, products or services contained within this magazine.These products and services are presented here as an indication of the various possibilities in theMarketplace. OBEC wishes to advise the reader that sound Building Science Practices should beapplied to any and all product or service selections. OBEC does not make or imply any warrantees as tothe suitability of any of these products or services for any specific situation. Furthermore, the opinionsexpressed in this magazine's editorial content may not necessarily reflect the opinions of OBEC.

Ontario Place in Toronto standsfully exposed to a harsh environmenton the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Here we are again in the fall,and as we are all scramblingto complete our summer(perhaps late fall?) projects

before the snow flies, it is time to releasethe 3rd issue of OBEC’s Pushing theEnvelope magazine. Once again, therelease of this years Fall edition willcoincide with Construct Canada, beingheld at the Metro Toronto ConventionCentre from November 30 to December2. Many of you reading this message areat the show right now, and I encourageyou to stop by the OBEC booth at thebase of the main escalators to say “Hi!”.

There are still many interestingthings said on job sites. Once I heard onsite that sealants were “the waterproof-ing material of choice by profession-als…”—as a “professional” I was a littlesurprised. While that statement may notbe true, sealants certainly form an inte-gral part of many building envelopeassemblies, and can cause a whole hostof problems if they are neglected or mis-applied. We present two articles thatshould be enlightening. Mr. Klosowski’sarticle gets down to the very basics ofsealants with an interesting metaphorthat will make you think twice next timeyou are at your favorite Italian eatery.Mr. Hensley’s article discusses the differ-ences between liquid and preformedsealants, and their applications.

Those of you that attended Mr. PaulJeffs OBEC presentation on restorationof Newfoundland’s Cape Race light-house were treated to an interesting andinnovative account of bringing this his-toric structure back from the brink inone of Canada’s harshest climates. Iknow, I grew up less than 2 km from theNorth Atlantic, and have witnessed theexceptional conditions that our coastalbuildings are subjected to. In this issueof PTE, Mr. Jeffs discusses another EastCoast project regarding the restorationof a 90 year old church in Moncton,where the environmental conditions may

have been less intense, but the workequally challenging.

The last issue of PTE magazine wasreleased May 2005 in time for the 10thConference on Building Science andTechnology in Ottawa. The event washosted by the Building Envelope CouncilOttawa Region (BECOR) who did afantastic job in organizing that monu-mental task. Over 370 delegates attend-ed, and it was an excellent opportunityto mingle, or debate, with those in theindustry.

Things will be heating up again just intime for mid-winter when the remainderof the changes to the administration ofOntario’s Building Code are scheduledto come into the playing field in January.OBEC will be addressing this issue inthe new year, as well as others, with around table involving industry playersthat promises to be interesting andentertaining. Also on the agenda isOBEC’s full day seminar on Designingfor Severe Environments at the end ofJanuary, which is bringing together pre-senters from all over the design commu-nity to discuss special design considera-tion for buildings to increase theirperformance in exceptional circum-stances. Look for other OBEC events onwww.obec.on.ca , or watch your inboxesif you are OBEC members.

In June of 2005, OBEC was extreme-ly proud to award our 16th President’sAward (a.k.a. “The Beckie”) to Dr. JohnStraube for his exceptional contributionto Building Science in Ontario andbeyond. There are few individuals withJohn’s passion for the work, and thathave encouraged as many impression-able young engineering and architecturalstudents to become aware that there is ascience to buildings. Congratulationsagain Johnny!

We hope that you enjoy this issue,and thanks to you all for your words ofencouragement regarding the magazine.There is always room for improvement,


Message from the President

Peter AdamsOBEC President

2005/2006 OBEC Board of Directors

President:Peter Adams

Morrison Hershfield

Past President:Anna Prioste

RBS Consulting Engineers

Vice President: Robert Rymell

RBS Consulting Engineers

Secretary:Raymond George, Soprema Inc.

Treasurer: David De Rose

Halsall Associates Ltd.

Director: Paul Johannesson, Bertram

Director: Paul Tomkinson

Norquest Contracting Group Ltd.

Director: Nancy Wiskel, Dofasco Inc.

OBEC Administrator:Jennifer McDonald

however, and we continually try toimprove the magazine with each issue.If you have any suggestions for the mag-azine feel free to pass them along.

Enjoy the upcoming holiday season,and lets hope that you get all those proj-ects designed, constructed, or supplied intime, and in keeping with good buildingscience practice.

The three most common generic types are silicones, polyurethanes and polysul-fides. However most of the jobs in the US are done with silicones andpolyurethanes. Thus it is good idea in studying stability to look at the formulas andwhat we can learn from them. All of the sealants have two components in common.Each has a polymer and a filler. If we imagine that the polymer is like a bowl ofspaghetti noodles then we can imagine that the filler is like large meat balls mixedinto that same bowl. That is the essence of a sealant when it is in the cartridge,

8 Fall 2005 • Ontario Building Envelope Council

By Jerome Klosowski, Senior Scientist, Dow Corning Corp.

SealantsSealantsJust Spaghettiand Meatballs

Some of you might think that

the specification C 920

contains some weathering

tests. It does, 500 hours of

weathering, which represents

about nine months to maybe a

year on the building, depending

on where it is. What most of

you don’t know is that

according to our studies in

ASTM, ISO and RILEM it takes

about 1000 hours of artificial

weathering, the way it is

presently done, to equal a year

outdoors with a Southern

exposure (maybe 800 hours in

Cleveland).

There are essentially three areas of concern in making

durable joints. The joint design, the sealant chosen to be

put into that joint and the application of the sealant into

the joint.

This paper will touch on all three concerns. But will start with the

material put in to the joint.

To understand durability and causes of sealant failure one needs to

know something about the fundamental make-up of sealants. There

are certain characteristics imparted to sealants by their generic

nature and other characteristics that are uniquely a consequence of

their particular formulation. Knowing these basic characteristics you

then know the right questions to ask of the suppliers in determining

durability. For sake of simplicity this paper will address the two most

common types of sealants put into the class of premium sealants.

There will occasionally be references to other types as well.


It is crosslinked or tied together with silane that looks likethis:

XMe Si X

XThe crosslinked system, looking at the back bone, looks like

this:

~Si 0 Si 0 Si 0 Si 0Si 0 Si 0 Si 0 Si 0 Si 0 ~

~Si 0 Si 0 Si 0

The fundamental part that you want to see is that the con-tinuous backbone is SiOSiOSi. It is the same backbone assand, quartz and glass.

Now the Si 0 Si bond does not absorb sunlight. Thus it getsno energy from the sun and doesn’t break apart in sunlight.Thus Silicones weather very, very well and don’t need to haveUV blockers to protect the polymer chain. This is very good.

Now the silicone backbone is the same bond as makes sandand is very compatible with sand (silica) like fillers. Thus avery common filler is fumed silica. This makes for a prettytransparent polymer-filler system and clear silicones are possi-ble. This is good and this is bad. This is good in that some peo-ple like to use the clear sealants. This is bad since adhesion isoften difficult to maintain with clear sealants. Think aboutthis. The sunlight shines right through the clear silicone and itthen shines on the paint or coating to which the siliconesealant is bonded. The paints and coatings are not extremelystable and thus the bond line can deteriorate in the sun. Thesealant won’t deteriorate but the bond can. Thus some goodadvice from this talk is to not use clear silicones in weatheringapplications. Use the pigmented ones to protect the bond line.Now note this well, the sun does not attack the sealant and thesealant won’t chalk or get all cracked or turn to mush in thesunlight, but the bond might not last as long as you would like.Thus use pigmented silicones and don’t worry about weather-ing.

This stability to UV radiation (sunlight) is characteristic ofall silicones. As indicated above this is very good but this alsohas a down side. Get some silicone on the side of a buildingand the sun won’t destroy it. It stays there a very long time.Thus applicators have to be more careful with silicones. Alsowhen dust lands on the sealant, it stays there (this is true ofmost by not all silicones). If silicone was destroyed in the sun-light, then the surface would be destroyed and the dust woulddisappear with the chalk of the eroding surface. Since siliconesdon’t chalk, this doesn’t happen.

All silicones start with the same type polymer and that

accept the polymer is perhaps 100,000 times smaller than thespaghetti noodle and the filler is 10,000 times smaller than themeat ball.

When the sealant is extruded from the cartridge it cures.What that means in our analogy is that the ends of thespaghetti noodles are tied together with two, three, four ormaybe even five ends being tied into each knot at the end ofthe noodles. Imagine what you are seeing—a three dimension-al web or mesh made up of spaghetti noodles with meatballstrapped inside. That is the cured sealant.

Now in real life we use crosslinkers to tie the ends of thepolymers together and use a catalyst to make it happen fastenough so as to have a reasonable cure rate. Keeping up withthe spaghetti analogy, it is possible to use very long noodlesand they might not move around on the plate like we wouldlike them to so we might add a little oil, or we might add a lotof oil. In real sealants that is like adding plasticizers. Plasticiz-ers make the sealant extrude easier, the increase elongation byallowing the polymers (noodles) so slip by each other easier.Like the oil on Spaghetti, the plasticizer can bleed out andmake a mess. That is staining and can happen with all sealantsof all generic types.

So let’s review what we have in common with all sealants.Fundamental are:PolymerFiller(s)CrosslinkersCatalystsOptional are:Plasticizer(s)SolventsOxidation retardersUltraviolet Radiation blocker(s)Adhesion promoter(s)Other additives (heat stability, fungicides, others)

Generic TypesThere are some characteristics of generic types that are

inherent with that type of material and some characteristicsthat can be easily altered with additives.

First consider silicones.All silicone sealants, except for some very expensive special

materials contain polydimethylsiloxane polymer. It looks likethis:

Me Me Me Me Me-Si 0 Si 0 Si 0 Si 0 Si-Me Me Me Me Me

same siloxane bond and that polymerhas a second important property, thatis it is very stable to high temperatures.Typically the silicone polymer can tol-erate months or years near 400 F andnot deteriorate. However all siliconesdo not have the same heat stability.The fillers and additives, even the cata-lyst for the cure can influence the heatstability. Of all the silicones I know of,from all silicone suppliers, everysealant I have seen can take continuousservice at 250 F. Some can do 300 Fand others 350 F or 400 F but all cantolerate 250 F. This is important to you.Some building surfaces (darker colors)in some climates (South) can have tem-peratures of 200 F or greater. It is not agood idea to use a sealant that can tol-erate only 170 F on those buildings.However in those hot climates, all thesilicones I know of are adequate.Around steam pipes and other very hot

sealing conditions you need to havehigh temperature proven materials,with data to prove it, and not just saysilicone when you specify. Not all sili-cones will do in temperatures over 250 F.

General ConsiderationsThe nature of the silicone polymer

is such that they slide easily past eachother. That means that they maintaintheir viscosity well in the heat and thecold. Their viscosity doesn’t changemuch, they don’t stiffen in the cold orget runny in the heat. That means theycan be installed in wide temperaturerange and they can be used in widetemperature range. The cured siliconesealant does not stiffen significantly inthe cold and are still very rubbery attemperatures below -40F. This isimportant for moving joints. It main-

tains its strength in the heat. This isfundamental to maintaining strength inspecialty applications.

Because silicones maintain theirrubberiness in the cold and strength inthe heat and do not deteriorate in thesunlight, only silicones are allowed instructural glazing applications. That iswhere the silicone sealant is the gluethat holds the glass on the buildingsand at the same time forms a seal tokeep the weather out. Silicone stabilityin light makes it the product of choicein all glazing applications.

Now there are several characteris-tics of silicones that are not inherent inthe generic type. 1. Adhesion is formula dependent. All

the sealants are different relative toadhesion. Some have unprimedadhesion to some surfaces and someneed priming. Adhesion in not


Sealants Just Spaghetti and Meatballs continuedSealants Just Spaghetti and Meatballs

inherent for silicones or any othermajor sealant type. Adhesion is aconsequence of formulation andadditives. Typically adhesion is alsomaterial (substrate) dependent.Specific sealants are tested withspecified materials. Some sealants

adhere well to many surfaces with-out a primer and other sealantsneed primers for most surfaces.Important to note is that if a sealantis tested and found not to need aprimer on metal or non-porous sur-faces, don’t use it. This is typically

good advice since priming can bebadly done, especially in non-poroussurfaces with the problem beingover priming. We can discuss adhe-sion and priming issues at the end ifyou are interested or you can sendin questions and I will answer them.

2. The amount of plasticizer. Shortpolymers, that give easier extrusion,easier gunning, and softer sealantscan vary from none to lots of plasti-cizer. The plasticizer can vary fromvery short solvent like materials tolonger syrup like materials. Thussome silicones stain some surfacesbadly (syrup type plasticizers), somesilicones don’t stain most surfaces,but can stain some surfaces, andneed testing to determine if theystain, and some silicones don’t stainany surface and in addition stayquite clean. In fact some siliconesstay cleaner than many of the organ-ic sealants. If you have questionsabout clean sealants we can answerthem in the discussion or you cansend in questions. The importantpoint is that in this property of stay-ing clean and not staining buildingsis different for all silicones. Youneed to know about the silicone youspecify. You need test data and anon-stain warranty to be sure. Forthis ask your supplier.

3. Modulus of elasticity is the force ittakes to make a sealant stretch.Some surfaces are weak and can’ttolerate much stress. Think about asofter concrete, a sandstone, somepaints, and all EIFS surfaces, thesewill need a low modulus sealant.Modulus is different from elonga-tion but many people in construc-tion link ‘the two. If one had a highmodulus sealant capable of highelongation, the forces put on thebond, at high movement would betremendous. In such situation yougenerally have adhesive failure orthe substrate will break.Some silicone sealants have highmovement ability and others do not.



This is formulation dependent.Some have low modulus and highelongation and can be used in jointswith 100 per cent extension and 50per cent compression and put verylittle force on the substrate, whileothers are +/- 25 per cent move-ment and some are +/- 12 Y2 percent movement and are quite highin modulus with much higher forceson the substrate and bond. Themodulus is mostly controlled bycrosslink density and plasticizeramount and type. The elongation isgenerally a function of polymerlength and other things like plasti-cizer as well. What properties doyou need on a specific job? If youhave a job with aluminum infill pan-els, these will see high movement.Make sure you order the sealantthat has properties to match. All sil-icones are different relative to mod-ulus and movement ability.The sealant movement ability adver-tised in the various silicone datasheets seems to be fairly true. Thereare some silicones where the datasheet is a gross exaggeration. Somesay +100 per cent, - 50 per centmovement and it is true and theycan prove it and it is validated. Butsome are saying + 100 per cent - 50per cent or +/- 50 per cent jointmovement when they are barelyable to make +/- 25 per centaccording to ASTM C 719 move-ment test. But most of the silicone

data sheets are true or very close tobeing true according to our tests. Tobe sure look for SWRI validatedmovement ability (ASTM C 719).Otherwise you can’t be sure of thesealant’s properties.Tear resistance is mainly fillerdependent. Some silicones tear veryeasily. Some are really very tough.Tear resistance is inherent in ure-thanes but in silicones it is not and isformulation dependent. Some sili-cones are excellent in highway andtraffic applications because of tearresistance combined with weather-ing, while others, less tear resistantare not to be used there. How aboutyour favorite silicones, nick themand pull them. Do they unzip ordoes the tear turn the comer? Ifthey unzip don’t use that one in ahigh abuse area. If they are tearresistant, chances are they will beexcellent in that application.

4. Some say silicones aren’t paintableand that’s generally true, it’s aninherent property. The paint willgenerally fisheye but with the rightprimer they are paintable. So youhave to know what you want andtalk to the right person. If you needto paint a silicone, talk to your sup-plier. There are some specialty for-mulations that are paintable andthere are primers that can make sili-cones paintable.

5. As an inherent property siliconesdon’t support fungal growth, butthey don’t stop it either. For a sili-cone to resist fungal growth, addi-tives need to be used. However, sili-cones are very resistant to attack bymost cleaning chemicals. This withor without a fungicide added, theyare the sealants of choice forkitchens and bath areas. Whichsealant you choose depends on yourapplication. It also depends on yourknowledge of the materials that areavailable.

We have talked about what is inher-ent and what is unique to special


You are the experts and you

are being paid to make

recommendations of materials

to use. You specify them. If

they don’t work you are

responsible. You are expected

to know about the materials

you recommend. Have any of

you been to court lately

defending your choices? If not,

you will be.

formulations with silicones. Thisgives you a flavor for what can hap-pen with formulation changes. Ifyou have an interest in what we doto make these differences, see meat the end or ask questions in thequestion period or send in yourquestions.

6. Be careful of silicones with highconcentrations of organic plasticiz-ers and/or organic solvents. Suchthings are becoming more populartoday, and some are lower priced.Presently all are of somewhat lowerperformance in fact, but make mar-velous claims in the data sheets. Asa minimum the solvent extendedones will have rather immediateshrink and the organic plasticizedones may have long-term shrinkand other different properties.Before you do a prestigious job withone of these silicones, get somelong-term performance data thatincludes weathering and jointmovement after weathering. Theymight not act like the standard sili-cone. A small aside comment onthis issue is needed. The siliconeindustry has to be very careful ofthe dilution trend that might start. Iwill draw an analogy to the oldpolysulfide sealants that had near100 per cent of the architecturalsealant market. The sealants wereof good quality and had 55 per centto 65 per cent polysulfide polymer,according to one world famous

polysulfide formulator. But theforce of price competition forcedthe replacement of good polymerwith less expensive plasticizers andsolvents. Today some polysulfideshave only 15 per cent or 20 percent good polymer, according to aBritish researcher, and the per-formance of such sealants is verysub-par. With this the market sharein the architectural market is said tohave gone from near 100 per centto 5 per cent or 10 per cent.Asking the manufacturers and cus-tomers to be aware of this and totest the products you use and becautious of the silicones that areplacticized with organic plasticizersand solvents is one way of trying toprotect silicone quality. Test eachproduct and don’t use those thatdon’t perform.

7. The most important question ishow do silicones fail (the normalsilicones not the organic plasticizedsealants)? The answer is that one ofthe key failure mechanisms is thatthey harden slowly with time.

HHCH

-Si - O - Si - O - Si - O - Si - O - Si - OHCH

:

Note that in the above equation, ahydrogen was extracted and a freeradical was formed. When this hap-pens to two molecules and the twofree radicals get into juxtaposition,they combine and form an ethylenecrosslink. This type of extraction ofa hydrogen from a carbon can hap-pen in any system, silicone and non-silicone, and it does.I personally installed silicones infield joints since 1969 and 1970 andwatched them for years. I mainly didfilet beads and the edges got harderin about 20 years and little cracksstarted to show at the edges. This iscommon in older silicones and whatis expected with older silicones.When a sales/marketing person tellsyou silicones don’t change withtime, they are wrong. They dochange but they change slower thanother types of sealants.

8. The other important failure mode isadhesion. An important note is thatall materials fatigue. You are allfamiliar with this. Pull on somethingonce or bend it once and maybenothing happens but pull on some-thing 100 times or 1000 times and itmight break. Well the most fatigueprone part of the average silicone isthe bond to the substrate. So if thebonds are not strong enough at thestart, with repeated stresses fromjoint movement, adhesion willsometimes give way. The sealant



HCH-Si - O - Si - O - Si - O - Si - O - Si - O

HCHH

hardening will only put more stress-es on the bond. This is true for sili-cones, urethanes and all sealants.Fatigue is an inherent characteristicof all materials.

So How Long Will Silicones Last? It is difficult to say but on applica-

tions above grade, in full sun I would

expect typically 20 to 30 years. Many 20and 30 years applications are still work-ing but some have failed and almostalways in adhesion. I expect longer life-times if the stresses are low and maybeshorter if stresses are high and/or watercomes into play. On horizontal sur-faces, I would expect 5 to 25 years

depending on the sealant and the sub-strate, since water is almost always afactor to one extent or another, on orbelow grade. The big determinate is ifthe substrate is concrete and if there islong-term water contact. A concretesurface without a barrier primer, ongrade, with lots of stress, and have itoften applied, can fail in less than 10years and sometimes less than 5. All ofthese conclusions assume the joint isdesigned well and was installed well.Poor design and/or poor installationcan cause premature failure with anysealant.

Now let’s examine the urethanes inthe same way.

Urethane sealants are based onpolyether polymers, which often areOH ended.

-CH2CH2 (OCH2CH2)x OCH2CH2- OHR

Some polymers are similar butamine (-NH) ended. This reacts similarto the OH ended polymers.

These polymers come linear orbranched:

/-------------------------------------/-----------------\--------------

\--------------The curing agents for these systems

is typically a diisocyanate.

O=C-N - R - N - C=O

This reacts quickly with the OH (oramine) at the end of the polymers.

O O-O CC O C N - R - N C O CC O -

O O-O CC O C N - R - N C O CC O -

Some very popular systems are clas-sified as urethanes, because they havethe same polymer backbone, but don’thave urethanes in them but cure by anepoxy/amine reaction. And there aresome newer systems that also don’t



have urethanes in them, but again havethe same polyether backbone polymerand are cured with a silane type mecha-nism much like the silicones are cured.These latter systems are called modifiedsilicones or modified urethanes or mod-ified polyethers, depending on who youtalk to. In terms of performance themodified or epoxy cured systems aretalked about in the same way as ure-thanes, by those studying performanceproperties, since having the same poly-mer backbone as urethanes, they havemany of the same inherent characteris-tics. They are referred to as modifiedsilicones by their manufacturers.

CommonalitiesNow lets look at some things that

are inherent in all these systems. Thepolyether polymer is polar, as is thecarbamate or uredo and even the epoxycuring agents. Thus the polymers asso-ciate easily with many things includingother polymer chains. This gives atoughness. Urethanes, and theircousins, are inherently tough. They area natural for high abuse areas, especial-ly those protected from sunlight. Someare better than others but all are gener-ally quite tough. This is an inherentproperty.

Look again at the chain of the poly-ether, it absorbs sunlight. So does thecuring agent, even more so than thepolymer. What this means is that the

basic polyurethane falls apart in sun-light. Thus polyurethanes need addi-tives to protect them from the sun. Themost important sunscreen is the pig-ment. Thus a clear urethane sealant isnot available. Carbon black is a verygood sunscreen as is titanium dioxide(the white pigment). Thus the blackand white colored sealants are general-ly more stable than the other colors.The sand colored, the beige coloredurethane sealants generally have halfor less durability to sunlight than theblack and white urethanes. There arealso sunscreens like you would use onyour skin, put into some urethanesealants. They help protect the sealant.However they are expensive, so as littleas possible are used. You don’t knowhow a urethane will hold up to the sununtil you test it. You can’t tell by look-ing at it and you can’t tell by the datasheet since you don’t know how muchsunscreen was added. You have to lookat jobs, with the same color sealants,with the same exposure to the sun, thatare several years old to determine howyour chosen urethane will work. Eventhen you want some assurances that thesame formula is used now as was usedthen. Data sheets don’t give theseanswers. So you have the inherentcharacteristic of instability to sunlight.Thus long term performance relative toweathering will be product and colordependent and it is not an inherent

characteristic. Some hold up fairly welland some not very good at all. Whichone did you specify?

There are ways to greatly extend theuseful life of urethanes exposed to thesun. Paint them. Pat Gorman publishedin an ASTM publication a report thatshowed a urethane on the South side ofa building at street level was painted,above that in the same joint it was notpainted. The vertical joint went up to aparapet, over the top and down theother side. The south facing sealantthat was painted looked pretty good;the south face not painted, looked pret-ty bad, was deteriorated and leaking;the top of the parapet that got full sunand heat was totally mush and full ofholes; the North side was good. Someof this was an example of UV deterio-ration (painted versus unpainted in thesame joint) and some of this was heatand light combinations causing deterio-ration (the south wall versus the top ofthe parapet). This was an excellent casestudy in the mechanisms of deteriora-tion.

Reversion is a term used to describethe change in properties of a curedsealant as it seems to go back to some-thing the approaches the uncured con-dition. An ASTM Symposium paper byNatt Leonard and Tarig Malik, bothTremco employees at the time, indicat-ed that the commercial urethanes theystudied deteriorated by 3 mechanisms,reversion based on water contact, rever-sion based excessive heat and reversionbased on sunlight. They suggested there


are situations where combinations ofthese made the reversion happen faster.This paper unequivocally noted thatthis reversion is formula dependent andone urethane did not revert.

An ASTM Symposium paper byCarbary and Bridgewater showedrather conclusively that UV (sunlight)can cause reversion, and did so on allbut one of the urethanes tested, withsurface temperatures at 120 F (normalwarm temperatures on a sun heatedsurface anywhere in the US) and thatthe gentle heat alone had almost noeffect.

The next inherent characteristic isheat stability. Most of these polymersystems are good to 170 F or 180 F.Leonard and Malik indicated that oneurethane in their study was stable ateven higher temperatures. What thismeans from a temperature aspectalone, many surfaces, in many parts of

this country, won’t get hot enough todeteriorate the sealants. Thus in mostclimates, concrete and stone will notsee thermal degradation. However ifthe surface is dark, in hot climates, thatcan be a problem, long term. You mustknow or estimate your expected surfacetemperatures before you specify yoursealant. Now some urethane manufac-tures might tell you that their sealantwill perform at 250 F. It might be truebut they didn’t give you enough data toknow this. The data sheet didn’t showyou how long it was tested at 250 F or ifafter is was heated for a long time at250 F, what kind of performanceremained after the heating. If they tellyou it looked good after 250 F heatingfor a long time, you might ask if it stilltook the required joint movement andif they have independent data to provethe point. If they don’t have thatanswer, tell them to get the answer or

you won’t buy the sealant. The idea isthat we are fighting some inherentmaterial performances. It takes specialformulations to overcome the heat sta-bility problem. The urethane datasheets of 5, 10 and 20 years ago told ofthe 170 F or 180 F stability but thatdoesn’t show up in the data sheetsmuch any more. Before you believethat the product is totally changed,demand data.

PaintabilityThe urethane is typically very

paintable, that means the paint doesn’tfisheye, it generally coats the urethanesand modified urethane sealants. This isan inherent characteristic. Howevermost urethane and modified urethanemanufactures suggest you don’t paintthe sealant indicating that the paint willnot stretch like the sealant and thus willcrack and craze and sometimes peel offafter it has cracked and been stretched.Some manufactures however do sug-



gest painting is very acceptable. So itseems, what is supposed to be an inher-ent characteristic, like paintability, isn’talways true and you must contact yoursealant manufacturer and get them towarrant the paintability before you goahead with a project where paintabilityis required. Further you must have thewarranty state that the paint will main-tain its adhesion.

Most urethanes have a difficultywith high movement since there is somuch polymer - polymer attraction.They are tough but not naturally highin elongation. Some actually do havehigh movement and can get +/- 50 percent elongation, but many are a goodsolid +/- 25 per cent with some +/- 30per cent movement with the addedmovement in the data sheet being a fig-ment of the marketing person’s imagi-nation. Some actually after a few yearson the job have a movement capabilitymore in the +/- 10 per cent to +/- 15per cent movement range. The use ofextensive plasticizer is the route thatmost will use along with a low crosslinkdensity to get the higher elongation.However large quantities of plasticizercan influence the long-term perform-ance. So it is imperative to look at thelong-term performance on buildingsand with test sites where movementsare recorded. As a minimum look atthe movement ability that has been val-idated by the SWRI. It won’t tell you athing about long-term performance orweathering but it will tell somethingabout its initial performance. If it does-n’t perform well initially, it won’t getbetter with age. Some data, like theSWRI validation, is better than none.After you are sure of the initial per-formance, then look at the long-termperformance. For most products youcan’t get meaningful lab data and youhave to look at job sites to know how aproduct will perform in the long term.

Some urethanes are sold for long-term civil engineering projects forunderwater applications. There is anASTM test for this. Be careful of thistest and be sure it is run long enough to

give you confidence that the sealant willlast as long as needed. For many appli-cations the acceleration factor for thistest is only a factor of 8. Thus if asealant is needed to perform underwa-ter for 10 years, the testing should havebeen in testing for over a year in dura-tion. All of these are in need of primer.In all or most ASTM testing for move-ment and for underwater applicationsthe products use primers on concrete. Itis amazing that many of the sales per-sons will suggest that this can be anunprimed, even on concrete. Thus lookat the validation data. If it was validatedon concrete with a primer, use a primerin your applications or get a letter thatthe manufacturer will stand behind thiswith a material and labor warranty. Canyou imagine needing a primer for ashort-term test but suggesting it isn’tneeded in a long term application.Chemical stability for underwater appli-cations is not an inherent property andis formula dependent.

Mechanisms of FailureIn our testing we find a variety of

mechanisms for failure. One is that thesealants get soft in some environments,especially sunlight. This is easily recog-nized in that the sealant goes from arubber to the consistency of bubblegum, soft bubble gum with many cracksin it. This was mentioned earlier withreference to the Leonard - Malikpaper.

There is a second and rather insidi-ous mechanism. It is the hardening ofthe urethane. Some urethanes don’tsoften even in the sun but instead getvery hard with time. This produceslarge forces (stresses) when movement(strains) occur. These large forcesbreak the adhesive bonds and thus thejoint fails and it is an adhesive failure.The interesting part is that this isalmost indistinguishable for an adhe-sive failure caused by bad cleaning andjoint preparation. Since contractors arenotorious for poor cleaning, most of

the times that the joint fails because thesealant gets too hard gets blamed on the con-tractors joint preparation, since it looks likeand often is adhesive failure.

I wrote a paper on how to determine thecauses of sealant failure. In there is indicatedthat one route is to check the hardness of thesealant. For instance, if a sealant passed theinitial performance test, like C719 and wastested for hardness at that time and had ahardness of 35, then after two years outdoors,when it is tested for hardness and has a hard-ness of 55, you certainly would not expect thesealant to have the same movement ability aswhen it had the 35 hardness. This is true forsilicones, urethanes, polysulfides, acrylics andall other sealants. Thus when the joint openswith the hardened sealant in it, either thesealant will tear or it will pull away from thesubstrate with an adhesive failure, or in thecase of some weak surfaces like EIFS andweak concrete, it will pull the surface of thesubstrate apart. In both the latter situationsthe most common first response to seeingsuch a failure is to blame the contractor forpoor installation.

However more lawyers are now blamingthe architect and specifier for specifying aninappropriate sealant. Lawyers are learningto understand the effects of hardening and soshould architects and specifiers. Can the man-ufacturer provide data that the sealant stillhas adequate performance even though it hashardened? If you are specifying the sealantyou are expected to know which ones hardenand if they still perform.

This then gets us to the next part of thepaper and that is choosing the sealant for ajob. You are the architects and you are thespecifiers and it is assumed that you willchose appropriate sealants. More and moretoday, if you don’t do this well, then you pay.

How to Read a Data SheetFirst of all realize that over half the data

sheets have incorrect data. A HUD financedstudy done at NIST showed that over half ofthe sealants tested did not have properties asgood as stated on the data sheets. Next was astudy done at Oxford-Brooks University byTim Jones and Allen Hutchison, with US and



European sealants. They had similardata and published it saying that overhalf the sealants they tested had prop-erties inferior to those stated in thedata sheets. How can this be true?

If there is stated in the newspaperthat there will be no police on a certainfreeway on a given day, and you find

yourself on that freeway on that dayand you are in a hurry, will you adhereto the speed limit? No, perhaps noteven close to it. If there is no enforce-ment of a rule, people tend to breakthe rule. In sealants there is no agency,no body that checks to see if the data inthe sheets is correct. Thus if I have a

sealant that I advertise at +/- 50 percent and your lab man makes you asealant that does +/- 35 per cent, doyou write in your data sheet that yoursealant has +/- 35 per cent? In the realworld that is not done. Most specifiersdesign with some safety factor in mind.You know that your sealant will per-form in most applications because ofthis tendency to over-design, so youthen feel pretty confident that you cansay +/- 50 per cent and not get caught.However what if the sealant is actuallyinstalled on one of the hottest days ofsummer and the sealant must actuallyshow + 50 per cent expansion? Youneed a sealant that will perform as indi-cated if you need the full movementability of the sealant you specified.Sometimes there is no over design.

Your first line of defense is to lookat the data sheet and see if the producthas SWRI validated performance. If ithas, you know that at least once in itslife, it had the stated properties. With-out that you are not sure. Now look atthe SWRI validation statement again.You must read the data sheet well.Some data sheets say “+/- 50 per centmovement, SWRI validated perform-ance”. In fact the performance validat-ed was +/- 25 per cent or +/- 20 percent. So the sealant in one test oranother might of had +/- 50 per centmovement but it was validated to theASTM C 719 test at a lesser value. Onesimple phone call to the SWRI officewill get you the data you need.

Another thing to look for on datasheets is test data that is “modified”.Some manufacturers will say +/- 25 percent to C 719 modified. You then needto know what the modifications were.People use different more friendly jointsizes, run the test with no water immer-sion or run the test with no compres-sion with heat. That’s okay but waterdoes happen in the real world as doescompression with heat and so doesmovement during the curing process onthe side of the building. Data from all“modified” tests should be questioned



and have adequate explanation as towhy the standard method was not fol-lowed.

You then have to ask yourself if thedata is still significant if it is modified.For some jobs and some sealants it isand for some it isn’t.

The interpretation of the data sheetmight take hours to explain but onemore important point is that most datasheets don’t contain long-term data.You generally don’t know how a prod-uct will perform after one year or threeyears or five years on the side of yourbuilding from a data sheet. So fact oneis that data sheets almost always con-tain only short-term data. In the pres-ent data sheets, most weathering data,if they have any, represents a fewmonths to a year of real service.

Another point of major importanceis joint movement. Many manufactur-ers advertise some large joint move-ment capability on the front of the datasheets like +/- 50 per cent but in theback they indicate the joint should bedesigned at 4 times the anticipatedmovement. The formula for jointdesign is this:

For a +/- 25 per cent sealant oneputs 0.25 in the above equation, in thedenominator. When one puts 0.25 inthe equation,. it is the same as multi-plying the movement by 4. Thus whenthey say the sealant must be used witha joint that is 4 times the estimatedmovement, they are saying it is truly a+/- 25 per cent sealant. The front ofthe data sheet is brag at +/- 50 percent, the back sheet is closer to thetruth. What you know from this datasheet is that the sealant will perform ata maximum of +/ - 25 per cent, if thedata sheet is telling the truth and less ifis not. The +/- 50 per cent is a labcuriosity or a simple nonfact.

For heat stability think about this.

In hot climates, a dark surface can beat temperatures of 200 F (93F) for 4hours or more a day. That type of con-dition can happen for 90 days or moreeach year in the dessert Southwest. Ifyou suggest you want the sealant to last5 years in Vegas or Phoenix, you needto see a minimum of

If you think a sealant should last 10years on your building in the hot cli-mate, the heat stability should be testedno less than 3600 hours (150 days or 5months). Is the data sheet quoting 250hours or 500 hours? What does thatmean? What did it test after heating?Did it do a ASTM joint movement testor did they just look at it and say itlooks good? If the joint movement test-ing isn’t done, you have no idea if thesealant is still useable after heating.You have no idea if it will perform in ahot Phoenix, Las Vegas, or similar cli-mate. What kind of temperatures doyou expect on the building you areworking on? How many hours a year?What kind of data do you need?

WeatheringSome of you

might think thatthe specification C 920 contains someweathering tests. It does, 500 hours ofweathering, which represents aboutnine months to maybe a year on thebuilding, depending on where it is.What most of you don’t know is thataccording to our studies in ASTM, ISOand RILEM it takes about 1000 hoursof artificial weathering, the way it ispresently done, to equal a year out-doors with a Southern exposure(maybe 800 hours in Cleveland). Side-walks and other surface joints alsoenjoy full sun. To know if your sealantof choice can handle that environment,for 5 years, you probably need no lessthan 5000 hours of testing in the accel-erated weathering machine with a C

719 movement test to follow. Somearchitects want a joint sealant to last 5years and others 10 years. That meansyou want to see 5,000 or 10,000 hourdata followed by the joint movementtest. That means 30 weeks or 60 weeksof time in the machine. If the datasheet doesn’t quote that kind of data,

you have no clue as to how the sealant per-forms long term on your

building.What is an architect or specifier to

do? You can’t believe some data sheetsand some of the dat’a you need is notin the data sheet. You call the manufac-turer and ask if they have buildings inyour area with similar surfaces and sim-ilar colored sealants that you can lookat. If you do, you go and look. You lookat the south side and the north side, inthe sun and under awnings. You pokeand pull the sealant to see if it is stillrubbery.

Know The Risks of Not KnowingNow consider this. You are the

experts and you are being paid to makerecommendations of materials to use.You specify them. If they don’t workyou are responsible. You are expectedto know about the materials you rec-ommend. Have any of you been tocourt lately defending your choices? Ifnot, you will be. Consider the situationwhere you have recommended asealant in the past and it failed prema-turely. Now you recommend it again.What do you use as justification withthe court? What do you as justificationto the building owner? How do youthink they like the answer that you did-n’t know it failed since you never goback and check your old buildings? .

Everything I have indicated here isreported in the trade and professionalliterature. You are expected to know it.You are expected to know the differ-ence between the data on the front andthe back of the data sheet. You now goto Sweets on line and soon you will go


Thermal movement of joint

Sealant movement abilityjoint size = + tolerances

4 X 90 X 5 = 1800 hours of oven exposure (75 days)

to e-Commerce and pick your sealants.Do you imagine the data will be anybetter there than in the data sheet?Who inputs the data, the scientist orthe marketing/ sales person? When Iasked Sweets if they would put in a

program to have voluntary certificationof data in the catalogue, they said no.What you have is what the manufactur-er wants you to read.

One last point. Since sealant failureis the second most common cause for

building damage (following the roof)you need to know some real truthsabout sealants. How are you ever goingto find out the truth on long-term dura-bility? For most sealants the answerscan’t be found on the data sheets.However with all sealants you can findthis out! First is you should inspect oldjobs. See what is working and what isnot. This was mentioned above and Ihave a paper to tell you how to do that.Call or write for a copy of that paper.

Next is for you to set up a lab onyour windowsill. Take your favoritesealants, make nice sample joints, letthem cure and then set them on yourwindow sill and every month or two,squeeze them or stretch them. This isquite easy, make a little block of woodor plastic and wedge the joint open at25 per cent or 50 per cent or makeenough joints so you can do both. Amonth or two later take them in andsqueeze them together to about 25 percent or 50 per cent compression andput them back on the sill. I cut a littlenotch in a piece of metal to hold thesqueezed specimens. That’s it. Repeatthis every few months for several yearsand watch your favorite sealants. If youwant instructions on the windowsill lab,call or write me. It’s time you had truedata. Generate it yourself. I am a sen-ior scientist, but I work for a majorsealant manufacturer. For full confi-dence on everything said here and fordata on your favorite sealants a goodplace to look is at your own test data,you windowsill lab or the observationsof your own inspections.

You are the pros. You are beingpaid for your advice. Give good adviceand have the data to prove it, or pay incourt. ■

OBEC would like to thank ScottWaechter and the author JeromeKlosowski, both of Dow Corning Corpo-ration, for their kind permission to printthis article.



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OBEC IS…OBEC IS…T he Ontario Building Envelope

Council (OBEC) is a non-profitorganization, founded in 1986.OBEC bridges the gaps between

architecture, building engineering / science,testing and building research by addressingchallenges facing building performance. One ofOBEC’s goals is to actively pursue and promotethe most current information on solving keyproblems in the construction industry. This isaccomplished through sponsoring conferences,technical forums, organized field tours, monthlyinterest group seminars and presentations onbuilding science-related topics. Much of thisinformation is also decimated and accessible atour ‘members only’ website to regional andinternational registered members. Members receive bi-monthly issues of the ‘Newsand Views’ newsletter by email as well as copiesof Pushing the Envelope, OBEC’s bi-annualindustry magazine. In addition, registration forseminars, conferences and OBEC’s President’sAward Banquet are available at a reducedmember rate. The aim of OBEC is to ‘promote the pursuit ofexcellence in the design, construction and per-formance of the building envelope’. To summa-rize OBEC’s major objects are: • To create a forum where everyone concerned

with building improvement can exchange ideas and information.

• To accumulate, technical information andmake it easily accessible to members.

• To broadcast information and create educa-tional programs for the benefit of the build-ing community.

• To promote and guide building research anddevelopment to accomplish the aim.

• To make recommendations regardingimprovements to codes and standards.

• OBEC membership is open to anyone inter-ested in building performance.

For more information on OBEC, includingindustry news and views, a membership directory and educational resources, visitwww.obec.on.ca.


ARCHITECTURE

Ontario Association of Architectswww.oaa.on.ca

BUILDING ENVELOPE COUNCILS

Alberta Building Envelope Council - South - Calgary www.abecsouth.org

British Columbia Building Envelope Council(BCBEC) www.bcbec.com

Building Envelope Council of Ottawa Region www.becor.org/

National Building Envelope Councilwww.nbec.net

Quebec Building Envelope Council luisd.freeyellow.com

BUILDING SCIENCE

Alliance to Save Energy www.ase.org/

ASHRAE www.ashrae.org/

Energy Efficiency, Office of www.oee.nrcan.gc-ca/

Building Technology Center (Oak RidgeNational Laboratory) Building Envelope Research www.ornl.gov/ornl/btc/

Building Technology Research for Excellence Building Envelope Research www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/

Canadian Building Digests www.nrc.ca

National Institute of Building Science www.nibs.org/nibshome.htm

OAK Ridge National Laboratories (BESTM) Building Thermal Envelope Systems + Materials Program www.ornl.gov/roof+walls

Professional Development Centre (PDC)www.pdc.utoronto.ca/html/body_bs.html

Residential Energy Efficiency Database(REED-Canada) www.its-canada.com/reed/insul/index.htm

CORPORATE

Accent Building Sciences Inc.www.buildingsciences.net

Alumicorwww.alumicor.com

Bodycote Materials Testing Canada Inc.www.na.bodycote-mt.com

Bowie Contracting www.bowiecontracting.com

Brown & Beattie Ltd.www.brownbeattie.com/

Dow Corningwww.dowcorning.com

GRG Building Consultantswww.grgbuilding.com

Halsall Associates Limitedwww.halsall.com

International Leak Detection Ltd.www.leak-detection.com

J.McBride & Sons Ltd.www.jmcbride.net

Jacques Whitford www.jacqueswhitford.com

Morrison Hershfieldwww.morrisonhershfield.com

Permatintwww.permatint.com

Sopremawww.soprema.ca

SOTA Glazing Inc.www.sotawall.com

Tremcowww.tremcosealants.com

Unique Restoration www.uniquerestoration.ca

Vinyl Window Designs Ltd.www.vinylwindowdesigns.com

YOLLESwww.yolles.com

GOVERNMENT

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.(CMHC) www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/imquaf/himu/indexw.cfm

Publications List: www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/Research/Highrise/e_pubs.htmTo obtain publications: 1-800-668-2642

Canadian Standards Association (CSA) www.csa.ca

Institute for Research in Construction (IRC) www.nrc.ca/irc/irccontents.html

International Code Council www.intlcode.org

National Research Council www.nrc.ca/irc/roofing

Public Works Canada www.pwgsc.gc.ca/cbd/cbd-e.html

THERMAL INSULATION

Polyisocyanurate Insulation ManufacturersAssociation (PIMA) www.pima.org

DOE - Insulation Fact Sheet www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_08.html

Building Environment & Thermal Envelope Council www.nibs.org/betechm.html

Check out www.obec.on.ca formore great industry information.

Canadian Urethane Foam Contractors Association (CUFCA)www.cufca.ca

MASONRY

The International Masonry Institute www.imiweb.org/

National Concrete Masonry Association www.ncma.org

Terrazzo, Tile Marble Guild of Ontario www.ttmgo.org

Masonry Canadawww.masonrycanada.caOntario Concrete Block Associationwww.ocba.caThe Brick Industry Associationwww.bia.orgThe Masonry Societywww.masonrysociety.org

EIFS

EIFS Alliancewww.eifsalliance.com

EIFS Council of Canadawww.eifscouncil.org

EFIS Industry Members Association www.eima.com

WINDOWS & DOORS

Efficient Windows Collaborative (EWC) www.efficientwindows.org/

National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) www.nfrc.org/

National Wood Window and Door Association www.nwwda.org

The Pacific Energy Center: Energy-EfficientWindow Glazing Systems www.pge.com/cus-tomer_services/other/pec/inftoc/facglaz.html

ROOFING

Factory Mutual Global wwwfmglobal.com

National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)www.nrca.net/programs/nacort/www.roofonline.org

Roof Consultants Institute (RCI) www.rci-online.org/

SEALANTS & WATERPROOFING Sealant and Waterproofing Association www.swao.com

SPECIFICATIONS Construction Specifications Canada www.csc-dcc.ca

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN The Green Building Information Council www.greenbuilding.ca

Industry Websites

When Captain RichardKing established theKing Ranch in South-east Texas in 1853 the

only cattle that could stand the harshheat and scrubby terrain were IndianBrahmans or “Longhorns.” But Long-horns are lean and don’t make greatbeef. The British Short-Horn made greatbeef but couldn’t take the heat. King’ssolution was to cross the breeds resultingin the first-ever American breed, theSanta Gertrudis which features greatbeef and the ability to thrive in hot,harsh climates.

Not unlike Captain King’s frustrationwith finding the right cattle to make hisranching business successful, we in thesealing and waterproofing industry havegot to be a little frustrated with the per-formance of our sealant materialoptions.

Liquid sealants suffer from numerousinstallation and material challenges ingetting them to work properly and pre-formed sealant alternatives are fussy tosize and install.

Enhancing positive traits while elimi-nating or reducing negative traits by com-bining different species, materials, ortechnologies is called hybridization andthe end products are called hybrids. Asthe limitations of individual technologiesbecome apparent, hybrids often emergeto create more effective products. Suchnew products preserve the best featuresof the component materials while elimi-nating the weaknesses that caused theoriginal technologies to stagnate.

A modern-day example of wherehybridization is succeeding where indi-vidual technologies have stalled is in thedevelopment of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Internal combustion engines, in theircurrent form, have a limited long-termfuture due to inefficiency and negativeenvironmental impact. Battery-driven,purely electric vehicles to serve main-stream use are still not viable due to lim-itations of current battery technologyand the hassles of recharging. Availableon the market this year are high-per-formance vehicles powered by highlyefficient internal combustion enginesand battery-powered electric motors(working in combination or alonedepending on driving conditions). Thesehybrid vehicles feature a sizeable leap infuel efficiency and are less polluting.

Liquid SealantsLiquid sealants are supplied in tubes,

pails, sausages, or in other ways conven-ient for shipping. They are extrudedthrough a nozzle into joint-gaps over apre-placed foam backer rod. Theinstaller then tools the sealant againstthe backer rod to achieve the “hour-glass” cross-sectional shape needed forhandling extension and compressionmovement. The achievement of this“hour-glass” shape is critical to the per-formance of the liquid sealant once ithas cured into a solid plastic state.

Preformed SealantsImpregnated, open-cell foam sealants

are a type of preformed material. Theyare produced by partially filling the cellsof high quality open-cell polyurethanefoam with non-drying,water-repelling adhe-sive agents. Thecombination of thisimpregnation treat-ment followed by com-pression creates a sealant mate-rial that is always in compression.

Preformed sealants, by contrast, are sup-plied ready for installation in their fin-ished, functional state.

Limitations of Liquid SealantsThe major limitation of liquid

sealants is the presence of tensile stress-es at the bond line and within the bodyof the cured sealant during extensionmovement. The negative effect of thesetensile stresses is aggravated by installa-tion of the liquid sealant in other thanthe specifically required geometry.Alteration of the geometry as well aschanges in the sealant-material state asthe result of movement in the joint-gapprior to full cure further limits the func-tionality of the finished product.

Limitations of Impregnated FoamSealants

The major limitations of impregnatedfoam sealants historically have been theneed for correct sizing to maintain a suit-able level of compression for sealing, therelatively high up-front cost of the prod-ucts, and the lack of colour choice.

Attention to sizing as an objectionshould be put aside as the same practiceis necessary when installing liquidsealants if the goal is a functionalsealant. (You cannot install 25mm

Hybrids hold the keyPushing the Envelope 29

Where’s the Beefin Joint Sealants?

By Lester Hensley, CEO and President, EMSEAL

(1-inch) backer rod into a 40mm (1 1/2”)joint-gap, tool liquid sealant over it andexpect to achieve the necessary geome-try for the sealant to function).

The colour selection of standardimpregnated foam sealants, black orgrey, is widely incorporated in design tocreate a shadow-line effect. However,when the aesthetic effect preferred is tomake the material blend or coordinatewith the colour of a substrate this limitedselection becomes an issue.

The Big Question“What if one could develop a sealant

that uses the best features of both liquidsealant and impregnated foam sealantsAND eliminates their weaknesses?” Thisquestion was answered by the develop-ment of the current hybrids on the mar-ket and it continues to drive develop-ment of others to suit more and moreapplications.

Composition of HybridsImpregnated foam sealant combined

with factory pre-applied silicone liquidsealant in the form of a bellows. Theresult is to make the best possible use ofthe two kinds of sealant material whileeliminating the disadvantages of both.

The opening and closing movementof the joint-gap results in the surfacesealant folding and unfolding (ratherthan stretching and compressing) thereby

eliminating substrate bond-line stressesand failure or composition changescaused by pre-cure joint-gap movements.

The seal is made by partially factorycompressing the foam followed by theapplication of the silicone. The siliconecoating is applied to a factory-controlledthickness. It is then cured under con-trolled conditions free of dirt, tempera-ture change and movement of the sub-strates during cure. Once the siliconecoating has cured, the material is com-pressed to an installation dimensioncomfortably less than the field-measuredjoint-gap size. It is held in this pre-com-pressed state by its packaging until imme-diately prior to insertion in the intendedjoint-gap.

Installation involves essentially inser-tion of the factory-made “stick” into thejoint opening. A corner-bead of liquid sil-icone locks the bellows to the substrate.

The result is the installation of a sys-tem which:• Is watertight• Moves free of tensile stresses at the

bond line• Moves free of tensile stresses within

the material• Is anchored without drilling• Is anchored positively by 3 means: its

mechanical backpressure; the pres-sure-sensitive adhesion of the impreg-nation agent; and by the corner bead

• Combats spalling of the substrate by

virtue of its backpressure• Is resilient and therefore resists the

effects of air-pressure differentials• Thermally insulates • Is difficult to vandalize• Is cost-effective on installed-cost basis• Is cost-effective on long-term per-

formance basis.

ConclusionHybrid sealants available today

shine in many applications includingmovement joints, large joints over25mm (1-inch), applications whereresilience or the need to resist air-pres-sure and thermal differentials is essen-tial, and anywhere a structural or new-to-existing gap needs filling and sealing.

Because of their non-invasive an-choring, water-tightness, colour choice,and tensionless movement, the hybridbellows sealants outperform liquidsealants or traditional impregnatedfoam sealants alone and excel in instal-lation and performance over extruded-rubber compression seals and particu-larly combination metal rail and rubbergland “strip seals.”

Small-size hybrids for mass produc-tion and for use in window and panelperimeters are under development andpromise to make their use as cost-effec-tive as current liquid-sealant and backerrod options. Under developmentthroughout the world, other hybridsinclude combinations of chemically-resistant liquid sealants and impregnat-ed foam sealants for use in wastewater,caustic and other harsh environments;combinations of materials to providefully fire-rated, watertight movementjoints; and combinations of hydrophilicor hydrophobic materials with impreg-nated foam sealants to handle below-grade and head-of-water applications.

Whether in the cattle business in the1800’s, the space race in 1960’s or in thesealant, waterproofing and buildingrestoration industry in the new millen-nium, as long as problems continue toexist, innovation is inevitable. As longas there is innovation, hybrids willdevelop because very often the solu-tions to problems we face lie not in thesearch for radically new materials, butin the creative combination of existingtechnologies. ■


IntroductionThe severe blizzard that hit the Canadian Atlantic Provinces

during February 2004 was strong enough to dislodge the 90-yearold First Moncton United Baptist Church’s bell tower copperroof. For a short while it hung precariously over one side of thetower, buffeting against the stone masonry. During the tempo-rary re-roofing project that followed, extensive damage was

noticed for the first time—not only within the obvious areasof impact, but widespread throughout the upper levels ofmasonry and particularly within the four corner buttresses.A preliminary investigation confirmed extensive movementof dimension stone masonry units had occurred—obviouslyover many years. Immediate concerns regarding stabilityand structural integrity led to the installation of temporarystrapping at several levels around the exterior perimeter of

the tower. Subsequentinvestigations includeddetailed visual examina-tions, the use of groundpenetrating radar (GPR) todetermine the extent andnature of any hidden dam-age, and tensile strengthtesting of both the exteriorstone units and the double-wythe back-up clay brickmasonry. A limited numberof openings were also madefrom the interior to confirmthe nature of the masonryassembly construction.

It was considered likelythat the excessive lateralmovement was caused bythe infiltration of rain-water

into cracks—the cracks having first been caused by shrink-age, differential settlement and/or movement from temper-ature change, wind-loading, etc.

Formation of ice and the subsequent development ofstresses during expansion may have then contributed to theexcessive movement that had taken place—up to almost 25-mm (1.0 in) at the upper-most levels within the corner but-tresses (Figure 1). A major concern was the evidence thattwo of the four keystone units within the upper louveredwindow lintels had become dislodged (Figure 2).


Note: This article is adapted from a paperpresented at the 10th Canadian MasonrySymposium, held in Banff, Alberta in June 2005.

of a Damaged and Deteriorated Church Bell Tower

By Paul Jeffs, PJ Materials Consultants Limited

Restoration and Stabilization

1. Evidence of considerable lateral movement withinbuttresses.

2. One of the dislodged keystones.3. Evidence of moisture saturation on the interior.4. Evidence of contour scaling and damage to voussoir stones.5. Examples of temporary and permanent shoring used to

support the overhead masonry during masonry rebuilding work.

6. New round windows installed within the reconstructedmasonry.

7. Waterproofed new deck with watertight hatch.8. The restored and stabilized bell tower

1

3 4

5 8

6 7

2

Although it was impossible to determine whether this was the causeor the result of the movement process, it was considered likely that lat-eral movement of masonry units would have been increased as a resultof the lateral thrust imposed on the buttresses by the dislodgement ofthe keystones.

An inspection of the first level interior revealed a vertically orientedstep-crack (Figure 14). The crack aligned with the exterior northeastbuttress and it was believed that its occurrence was due to reactions tothe exterior movement described above. An inspection of the roundwindows on each elevation, as well as the surrounding masonry,revealed that moisture was penetrating open masonry joints, oftenbypassing poorly installed flashing details. It was also evident that waterwas entering through gaps around the window frames (Figure 15).

Rainwater had obviously been gravitating between the outer andexterior wythes, thoroughly saturating the upper levels of the towermasonry assembly and ultimately freezing during the winter months.This resulted in deterioration of the interior brick and, in particular,contour scaling of the exterior rock-faced finished window surround(voussoir) sandstone units—many of which had been improperly fabri-cated for their bedding plane (Figure 3 and 4).

An unusual form of damage to the masonry above thelouvered windows was also evident within the interior, thenature of which indicated that a lateral inward thrust hadoccurred at some time (Figure 11). This event could haveoccurred as a result of lateral movement of the buttresses,the dislodgment of the keystones, or the impact of the cop-per roof as it pounded against the exterior masonry. In

addition, the wooden joists that supported the middle levelfloor were badly deteriorated due to repeated wetting/dry-ing actions, with at least one of the joists having becomedetached. The suspended floor deck was also in a poor andpotentially dangerous condition (Figure 12).

InvestigationThe results of the GPR evaluations indicated that there

were very few concerns regarding the current stability of themasonry assembly. However, the tests did indicate the pres-ence of moisture within the masonry assembly—particularlybelow window units - and the location of cracks could alsobe determined. The only hidden damage that could bedetected was within the area where impact from the copperroof could have been expected.

The tensile strength testing indicated that satisfactorypull-out strengths could be developed (Figure 13). Howev-er, it was determined that lower results could be avoided byinstalling the ties at 45-degree angles to prevent terminatingthe critical embedment portion within the mortar joints.Typical results were in the order 4.0 to 6.0 MPa (600 to 1000psi) when installed through brick and 7.0 to 10.0 MPa (1000to 1500 psi) when installed through stone.

Restoration PhilosophyTo provide an understanding of the reasoning behind the

restoration strategy that formed the Scope of the Work, thefollowing restoration philosophy was established andincluded within the contract documents.

“Although primarily a place of worship and community forits congregation, the First Moncton United Church building isan architecturally significant structure which is classified as anhistoric property. In addition, for the general population ofMoncton, the church bell tower is and has been a familiar andinstantly recognizable landmark. It is the intent of the restora-tion strategy that the work to stabilize, restore and preserve thedamaged and deteriorated bell tower structure conforms to therequirements of the City of Moncton Heritage By-Law—the


9 10

11 12

13

14 15

9. Removing a voussoir stone.10. Lowering one of the voussoir stones to ground level.11. Evidence of an inward lateral thrust of the masonry.12. Evidence of deterioration to one of the wooden floor

assemblies.13. Tensile strength testing of the masonry and

determining pull-out strength of masonry ties.14. A step crack within the interior aligned with the

exterior buttress joint.15. Evidence of water penetration at several locations.

major objective of the latter being to preserve to the extent pos-sible the original character of a building. However, the chal-lenge to the design of the restoration strategy—and the basis ofthis philosophy - is to achieve the stated objective while return-ing the tower to a condition that can adequately resist weather-ing actions and permit the building to accommodate stressesthat would otherwise develop during natural movementcaused by extreme changes in temperature, excessive wind-loading, etc. It is obvious that the tower is currently not in adurable condition—nor is it able to adequately accommodatenatural movement stresses.”

Restoration StrategyIt had been previously recommended by others that at

least partial masonry removal and reconstruction of thetower was necessary and that this would cost at least C$0.75million. However, the results of the investigation and visualassessments indicated that stabilization and restoration of

the masonry was possible. (The final cost for stabilizationand restoration work amounted to under C$0.40 million,including professional fees and the cost of the investiga-tion.) However, it was also considered essential that therestoration strategy should not only address the result ofthe damage and deterioration but also deal with the majorcause of the distress—the inability of the tower to ade-quately accommodate movement.

The first stage of the restoration strategy addressed theproblem of how to permit a limited amount of movementto continue to take place—while preventing further dam-age being caused to the masonry. The devised strategyincluded the design and fabrication of an arrangement ofsteel ring beams attached to each wall section at four loca-tions within the tower. The beams were secured to the inte-rior masonry assembly using masonry bolts with theiranchorages embedded within the exterior stone wythe. Thebolts were sleeved at their centre portions to facilitate thedevelopment of the desired tension upon tightening. Fabri-cated steel brackets were then attached to the corners ofthe interior walls to align with the interface between thebuttresses and the walls on the exterior and the beams weresecured to the corner brackets. The beams and bracketswere designed and fabricated with a “sliding bolt” arrange-ment that permits some controlled lateral movement of thebuttresses to take place (Figure 18). The hard cement-based mortar was then removed from the vertical joints at

the interface between the buttresses and the tower masonry walls andthe joints subsequently sealed with a mortar-colour matching elas-tomeric joint sealant (Figure 19).

Helical stainless steel masonry ties were then installed at 600 mm x400 mm (24 in x 16 in) spacings within the interior of the three levelsto embed within the exterior wythe of sandstone masonry units. (Fig-ure 22) The profile and limited flexibility of the ties permits a morecomposite action to take place across the multi-wythe masonry assem-bly without excessively increasing rigidity (Figure 23). The ties werealso installed within buttress stones to stabilize them against furtherexcessive movement, again without excessively increasing rigidity (Fig-ure 24). The ties were installed at 45-degree angles within each but-tress stone above the church main roof level and thus each unit was“stitched” to the adjacent or underlying masonry unit.

The deteriorated mortar joints were then cut-out and repointedwith a prepackaged moderately hydraulic lime/sand mortar. In recog-nition of traditional heritage structure restoration philosophies, the


16 17

1918

20 21

22 23 24

16. Cutting quarried stone into slabs prior to shaping and rock face dressing.

17. Fabricated voussoir stone units ready for shipment to the church.

18. Sliding beam and anchorage arrangement.19. Vertical joint sealed with an elastomeric joint sealant.20. The dislodged keystones were repositioned.21. The newly installed floor with its steel angle beam support.22. Installing ties from interior.23. Example of helical tie profile.24. Installing ties from exterior through buttress stones.

repointing mortar did not contain a pigment, although the tool-ing and jointing styles were designed to match the original. It isanticipated that the repointing mortar will eventually weather tomore closely blend with the original colour.

The sandstone voussoir units around the round windows andthe masonry units within the sections of wall between the but-tresses were removed and rebuilt (Figures 9 and 10).

Rebuilding the sandstone units from around the windowspresented challenges in providing support to the remaining over-head masonry and a combination of temporary and permanentshoring and bracing techniques were used for this purpose (Figure 5).

The replacement stone was sourced from a recently openedquarry near Sackville, NB and fabricated a few miles from Monc-ton (Figures 16 and 17). Laboratory testing proved the suitabilityand quality of the replacement stone which blended well with theoriginal masonry—the latter having been classified as consistingof a “Sackville Red Sandstone”.

After the masonry rebuilding work was completed, new cus-tom-fabricated round windows were installed (Figure 6). In viewof the likelihood that future timely re-painting and maintenancewould be difficult to assure, it was decided that the windowsshould be constructed from anodized aluminium. To eliminateprevious problems with snow build-up and moisture penetrationthrough window frames, the window units were positionedalmost flush with the exterior masonry. The remains of the oldroof and its temporary replacement were removed and a newdeck constructed, waterproofed and flashed (Figure 7). A water-

tight hatch was installed and a new improved drainage systeminstalled.

To relieve the lateral thrust loads on the buttresses, the dis-lodged keystones were jacked back into their original positionand the joints repointed (Figure 20). The jacking operationavoided considerable masonry re-building work that would oth-erwise have been required to re-position the keystones. Thedeteriorated floor was removed and a new floor constructed withsteel angle beams that were bolted interior masonry to providemore durable support and better load distribution (Figure 21).

The new floor surface was waterproofed by the application ofa thin-set pedestrian traffic urethane-based membrane system.The louvered windowsill units were completely flashed with lead-coated copper to correct original moisture infiltration problemsthrough horizontal masonry joints. Finally, new steel ladders andsealed hatches were installed to provide easier access to eachlevel and the roof.

ConclusionsPrior to the detailed stabilization and restoration project, the

First Moncton Baptist Church bell tower was in an advancedstage of deterioration. Lateral movement of buttress stonemasonry units and serious cracking had seriously compromisedthe tower’s, structural stability. However, due to the dedicationand commitment of the congregation and Board of Trustees forthe church, the masonry structure has been restored and stabi-lized to a durable condition. Moreover, it is now better equippedto withstand the extremes of Canada’s climate and accommodatethe movement that previously had caused considerable damageto its components.

AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank the Board of Trustees for the

First Moncton United Baptist Church for providing permissionto use the stabilization and restoration of their beautiful churchas a case study (Figure 8). ■

Restoration TeamThe project was carried out by the following restoration team:Owner:First Moncton United Baptist Church, Moncton, NB

Prime Consultant:PJ Materials Consultants Limited, Guelph, ON

Structural Engineer:Valron Engineers Inc., Moncton, NB

Architect:Andrew McGillivary Architect Limited, Moncton, NB

General Contractor:Penniac Construction Limited, Ammon, NB

Masonry Contractor:Jones Masonry Limited, Harvey, NB

Stone Fabricator:Smith Cut Stone & Quarries Limited, Shediac, NB

GPR Testing Tekron Services Inc., Mississauga, ON


What a ridiculous titlefor an article eh?What does it evenmean?

That is my point exactly. Here we are, members of one of the

oldest professions on earth, those whobuild, and the biggest challenge facingus today, after millennia of actuallybuilding things, is our ability to commu-nicate.

Now, some people may read this andthink I’m off my rocker. Others mayread it and not know what I mean. Let’sstart like this:

Forget Webster’s or Oxford, my defi-nition of communication is to “conveyan understanding”. Just think aboutthat for a minute. Communications isnot talking, it is not listening, it is notreading, it is not using a cell phone, it isnot using a blackberry, it is not sendingan e-mail…these are all just tools forcommunicating. Communication re-quires that those we intend to commu-nicate with, actually get and understandexactly what we intended.

Let me give you an example:An owner thinks he needs to have

his high-rise building’s exteriorrestored. After issuing their RFP to agroup of consultants, the owner selectsa consultant, based on one factor oranother, and the process of designingthe restoration commences. When theproject is ready to go out to tender, theconsultant issues their plans and specifi-cations to a group of contractors, select-ed based on one factor or another. Atthe pre-tender meeting, the G.C. ishanded a spec that is 2” thick and a roll

of plans all marked “not-to-scale” and“contractor to confirm all measure-ments”. When the GC gets back to theoffice, he opens the spec, removes 1.5”of boiler plate and boiler plate amend-ments and then issues the work, by sec-tion, to the various sub-trades who areto price their specific portion of thework. A week later, the GC submits hisqualified bid and off we go!

Sound familiar? What’s wrong withthis scenario?

Let’s start at the beginning. First, unless the owner is very

sophisticated and knowledgeable inbuilding envelope restoration work,how can they possibly issue an RFP thatadequately states or communicates tothe selected consultants just what theyare to base their proposal upon?

Second, having reviewed the consul-tant’s submissions, behind closed doorsand generally without discussion, howcan the owner determine which propos-al is in his best interest? Did the con-sultant adequately communicate theirintent?

Thirdly, raise your hand if you thinkthat more than 10 per cent of peoplehave actually ever thought that boiler-plate and more specifically boilerplateamendments would become the majorpart of most specifications? The lawyersthought this, and count on it, not toenhance communications but to use the“simple terminologies” of the law tohedge against some lack of communica-tions in the first place (ever read thatstuff?) let alone know what it means inthe context of the project at hand.Where is the communication?

Fourth, if the consultant, the P.Eng., or the architect who is issuing thetender cannot find the time to drawexisting conditions as they actually are,how the heck is a contractor supposedto interpret the drawings? (Last Ichecked, there was no Rosetta stonefor exterior wall cladding replace-ments!) Successful communicationcannot be left open to interpretation,ambiguities are litigation fodder.

Fifth, if the G.C. thinks that stick-ing a fax in a machine and sending outto a multitude of sub-trades is the wayto go in getting appropriate pricing,they are nuts! How is the sub supposedto know anything of any value thatmight assist them in actually preparinga quotation that means something, at acompetitive price? Remember…send-ing out a fax is not communicating.

Lastly, the G.C. and their rag-tagteam of sub-trades are faced with someobscure communications torturedevice called the “Tender Break-down” form, which must be filled incompletely and accurately or the bidwill be deemed informal… all in thelast five minutes.

You know, it’s amazing that any-thing actually ever gets done.

So, the next time that you are sit-ting there wondering why it is thateverything always seems so hard todo…consider this: How are you com-municating? I bet, that we all are doinga lousy job at it.

And hey, if you are finished withthis magazine…give it to someone whoyou think could benefit from a brush-up on communications objectives! ■


Komuni-k-shions in ConstrushunKomuni-k-shions in Construshun

By Brian Shedden, V.P. Client Services,J. McBride & Sons Ltd.www.jmcbride.net

n Ontario project has taken the LEED (if you canforgive the pun) in creating environmentallyfriendly construction.

The Region of Waterloo EMS Fleet Facility(ROWEFF), completed in 2004, was the first Ontario-basedbuilding to reach the Gold level of LEED (Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design®) certification.

The ROWEFF project was handled jointly by EnermodalEngineering and McCallum Sather Architects, under the guid-ance of the Region of Waterloo. Greg Sather, a partner inMcCallum Sather, notes that the region was not familiar withLEED, but quickly caught on to the program. “They didn’tknow about LEED or CBIP (the Commercial Building Incen-tive Program) or any of these incentive programs or programsout there; that’s what we brought to them once we werehired,” he said. “They caught on big…, because it kind of fitwith the mandate from regional council. They used the projectas a test.”

The region, however, was not going into green building asrookies. As Stephen Carpenter of Enermodal Engineeringexplains, Waterloo was already concerned with being an envi-ronmentally-friendly area. “For that particular project, theywanted to see how far they could go from a green sustainabili-ty standpoint,” Carpenter said. “The region had been, over the

years, quite active inboth energy

efficiency and water conservation, and I think they wanted tosee if they could basically go to the next step, in terms of sus-tainability. They had decided that they wanted this project tobe a LEED project. They wanted it to be energy efficient.”

For the Facility, Enermodal and McCallum Sather set highstandards on the LEED point system. Needing a score of 39 toget the coveted Gold level certification, ROWFEE went intodevelopment just under 10 points above the minimum certifi-cation level. Carpenter says that from the outset, it was thegroup’s goal to get the Gold level, and setting the bar highmeant they would be able to reach their target with little difficulty.

“I felt, at the beginning, that we really were aiming forLEED gold, but what we didn’t know was, [were we] going tobe easy to get to gold, were we going to have to fight all theway to get there. We were well above gold, which I think indi-cated how relatively easy we found it to get there,” Carpentersaid, noting they submitted at 48 points.

The results of the certification have been positive for bothEnermodal and McCallum Sather. As Sather explains, hiscompany is reaping benefits from being involved in the proj-ect, not only from a promotional standpoint, but also in havinga system then can use on their own.

“Marketing is a difficult thing to pin down. Nobody’s calledus and said, ‘hey, I’m going to hire you because you got aLEED Gold,’ but we are using it in our marketing and we’vebeen short-listed on a couple jobs,” Sather said. “It’s has comea long way as far as that’s concerned, and, more importantly,It’s has helped us to quantify what we have already been doingfor the last 10-15 years, which is designing green buildings.”

“What the LEED [program] has given us is a little broader

Waterloo facilitymakes a world

of difference


A

“LEED”ing by Example

“LEED”ingby Example

By Jon Waldman

focus on more items, sustainable site development forinstance. It’s quite specific as to how to better develop that,”Sather added, “but from a lot of the other categories, we werealready really big on recycled content in our buildings; 80 percent of our work is recycled buildings. We already had a specfor low-off gassing of materials and we always were selectingthe better, environmentally-friendly carpets and floor finisheslike linoleum as opposed to vinyls and stuff like at. So we werealready doing a lot of that. What the LEED [program] does isjust gives us a ruler to measure everything against.”

Following on the success of ROWEFF, Enermodal is contin-uing to work with LEED’s program guidelines. As of the end ofOctober 2005, the company had 30 to 40 LEED projects in theworks, including a residency for the Sisters of St. Joseph inLondon, Ontario. The residency, slated to be approximately100,000 square feet, will have a target slightly above ROWEFFand could approach platinum certification. Carpenter, howev-er, is not counting his chickens before they hatch.

“Platinum is a challenge,” he said. “I know a lot of peoplesay we’re going to LEED platinum. We only count the onesbeing certified LEED platinum, of which there is none. Talk ischeap; we’ll wait until the end of the day.”

With Enermodal and McCallum Sather raising the bar inOntario, it shouldn’t be long until you read about theprovince’s first platinum-certified building in Pushing the Enve-lope. ■


Though it is a young program, LEED has already seenenormous growth.

Since its inception the number of LEED projects havegrown exponentially, from five in 2001 to 109 in 2004. Thenumber, as LEED Program Chair Ian Theaker notes, isalong the lines of their expectations, though certificationisn’t following quite as quickly as he had hoped.

“In terms of registration, we’ve already surpassed ourfirst-year growth expectations,” Theaker said. In terms ofcertifications, people have been slow on the certifyingside. I was expecting we’d be getting on the order, 35 to 40buildings certified within the first year. We haven’t seen asmany buildings as that within the first year. On the otherhand, I keep hearing, anecdotally, that, ‘oh, you know I’vegot four projects out there that I’m going to be certifyingreal soon now.’ So that’s kind of bracing us for a wholebunch hitting us all at once.”

LEED’s certification is a five-level point system, withmarks allocated based on five factors: Energy and Atmos-phere (27 per cent of points), Indoor EnvironmentalQuality (23 per cent), Sustainable Sites (22 per cent),Materials and Resources (20 per cent) and Water Efficien-cy (8 per cent).

For more information on LEED, go towww.cagbc.org/building_rating_systems/leed_rating_sys-tem.php

LEED Grows Across Canada

The OBEC President’s Award—

“Beckie”

On Friday June 10, 2005,OBEC hosted its 16thAnnual President’s AwardDinner at the Royal York

Hotel in Toronto. This year, this presti-gious award, affectionately known toOBEC members as the “Beckie”, waspresented to this year’s deserving recip-ient, Dr. John Straube, a jointlyappointed Assistant Professor in theDepartment of Civil Engineering andSchool of Architecture at the Universi-ty of Waterloo.

The President’sAward began withTony Woods, whowas OBEC Presi-dent in 1991. Herealized that ourindustry did nothave a way to recog-nize the outstandingcontribution of indi-viduals involved inthe research, design,

construction, and rehabilitation of the

building envelope, and believed that anaward should be given to honour theircontribution to the promotion of excel-lence in the design, construction andperformance of the building envelope.

OBEC has been awarding theunique “Beckie” to individuals whohave made a significant contribution toour industry since 1989. This year,seven individuals were nominated forthe award. Finalists were selected bythe current committee consisting ofpast award recipients, who submittedtheir comments to the OBEC Board ofDirectors for voting. The recipient wasthen selected by the Board of Direc-tors.

John Straube was nominated byBrian Shedden of J. McBride and SonsLtd. and by Jonathan Solomon ofBuilding Science Investigations, Inc. InBrian Shedden’s words “John Straubehas consistently proven, time andagain, that his unique blend of science,imagination, field experience and pres-entation skills place him at the fore-front of our industry. If communica-tion is the ability to transfer anunderstanding, then John Straube is amaster”. Jonathan Solomon said thefollowing about John in his nomina-tion; “Dr. Straube has taught buildingscience theory to thousands of profes-sionals in a manner that is both inform-ative and easy to understand yet appli-cable to today’s building scienceapplications…he is generally regardedas one of, if not the best researchminds in the industry”. John Straube,who is the youngest individual to everreceive the “Beckie” Award, now joinsthe prestigious group of award recipi-ents.

Congratulations once again John,from OBEC! ■


OBEC President’s Award

Gala DinnerPast “Beckie” Winners1989 JohnTimusk1990 Gus Handegord1991 Tony Woods1992 Richard Quirouette1993 Jacques Rousseau1994 ONHWP1995 Robert Drysdale1996 Paul Sandori1997/1998 Eric Burnett1998/1999 Mark Bomberg1999/2000 Jerry Genge2000/2001 Joe Lstiburek2001/2002 Robert Platts2002/2003 Alan Dalgliesh2003/2004 Donald Onysko2004/2005 John Straube

Dr. John Straube

The 10th Canadian Conference on Building Scienceand Technology was THE event to attend on May12-13, 2005 at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario.The two years of planning and preparation that went

into the conference by the Building Envelope Council OttawaRegion (BECOR) was reflected in the success of the event andthe congratulatory nature of the many evaluations receivedfrom the over 370 delegates who attended the two day event.

The conference activities kicked off with a complimentary“Meet and Greet” event and on the evening of May 11 at theElephant and Castle Pub. Not surprisingly, this session provedto be a conference highlight, offering an ideal opportunity tonetwork in the informal atmosphere and to experience theinternational array of fine beverages the pub had to offer. Thislively event set the tone for the conference for the next twodays and was well appreciated by all delegates.

The theme for the conference was “Building Science andthe Integrated Design Process”. “There’s a growing recogni-tion in the industry through programs like LEED and CBIPthat to build buildings better, building science consultantsmust be involved in the process right from the start,” saysDuncan Hill, Conference Chair. “Traditionally the industry hasfollowed a linear design process. Integrated design processbrings everyone together at the beginning. It’s a benefit toeveryone being on the same page when things start.”

The technical committee, with its many challenges, plowedthrough well over 110 abstract submissions, ultimately select-ing 62 for paper submission. Finally, 54 papers were selectedfor presentation and publication. According to Silvio Plescia,President of BECOR, the 10th Conference was the largestNBEC conference to date—both in terms of papers and pre-sentations and participation.”

The conference also included the largest NBEC trade showto date. Prepared in conjunction with the Ottawa Chapter ofConstruction Specifications Canada, it aimed to bring buildingmaterials manufacturers and suppliers into the event. Thetrade show represented a broad range of building industry pro-

fessionals, including suppliers, manufacturers, consultants,tools and contractors. After an initial slow start, the tradeshow ultimately sold out and quite a few sponsors had to beturned back even with the last minute increase in the tradeshow floor space. This was one of the most successful activitiesof the Conference and one that offered sponsors great expo-sure to a captive market.

Additional conference highlights included a keynote speechby Ottawa architect Alex Rankin (of Griffith Rankin CookArchitects) on the design and construction of the new Canadi-an War Museum, a wine and cheese reception on the eveningof the May 12th and a guided tour of the new Canadian WarMuseum. Finally, a closing general session on air and vapourbarriers attracted a great deal of attention and invited delegateparticipation right to the final hour of the conference.

The stage has now been set for the 11th Conference thatwill take place in Banff Alberta on March 11, 12, 2007. Thisevent will be hosted by The Alberta Building Envelope Coun-cil and draw on the advice and assistance of all other BEC’sthroughout the country. ■

For select photos of activities and participants at the 10thCanadian Conference on Building Science and Technologyplease see the conference Web site at www.nbec.net/conference/photos.html

Both printed and electronic copies of the proceedings can beobtained by e-mail to Duncan Hill at [email protected] or by down-loading the order form at www.becor.org


10th Canadian Conference on Building Scienceand Technology; Ottawa, May 12 - 13, 2005

Conference Report:

Ottawa architect Alex Rankin (of Griffith Rankin CookArchitects) speaks about the design and construction of the newCanadian War Museum.

According to Silvio Plescia, President of BECOR,

the 10th Conference was the largest NBEC

conference to date—both in terms of papers

and presentations and participation.


If you have news you’d like to share, email it to [email protected]

for possible inclusion in the next issue of Pushing the Envelope.Th

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LEED ProjectsKingston—Queen’s Centre, School of

Physical and Health Education: As part of amajor redevelopment project of the studentlife, physical education and athletics facilities

on the campus of Queen’s University, theQueen’s Centre will consist of five newbuildings and one major renovation. PhaseOne consists of the School of Physical and

Health Education (Building D) and anadjoined Gymnasium and Pool Complex (Build-

ing E/F). These will be registered with the CaGBC as twodistinct LEED projects. Current Phase: Phase OneBuilding Type: SchoolBuilding Size: 7379 m2

Registration Date: 2005-09-16Occupancy Date: 2009-03-01

Kingston—Kingston Police Headquarters: The newKingston Police Headquarters is a 10,478 square metrefacility, located in Kingston, Ontario. This state-of-the-artsustainable building will contain a variety of areas includingadministration, police vehicle storage, vehicle maintenance,officer training, court services, offender detention as well as

other areas related to daily police activities. Current Phase: DesignBuilding Size: 10478 m2


Ottawa—Ottawa Paramedic Services Building: TheOttawa Paramedic Services Headquarters is a 100,000square foot, 2-storey state-of-the-art facility. The building isdesigned to be both disaster resistant and LEED Certified,delivering an estimated energy performance savings of atleast 25 per cent over traditional designs. The facility con-sists vehicle storage, administration, and training areas. Current Phase: ConstructionBuilding Size: 9465 m2


Housing StartsOttawa—Housing starts will ease in

2005, and reach 223,600 units, adecrease of 4.2 per cent from the 17-year high in 2004, according to CanadaMortgage and Housing Corporation’s(CMHC) fourth quarter Housing Mar-ket Outlook, Canada Edition report.In 2006, residential construction willremain strong at 207,200 units, thefifth consecutive year that starts areover the 200,000 level.

Sales of existing homes will estab-lish a new record of 476,000 units in2005, then dip to 453,700 units in2006. After posting their strongestincrease in 16 years in 2005 (10.2 percent), house price growth in 2006 willmoderate to 4.9 per cent as existinghome markets become more bal-anced.

In Ontario, a resurgence in thenumber of immigrants moving to theprovince will help to support housingdemand; however, this will be partiallyoffset by Western Canada’s energy-based economy which will continue toattract workers from Ontario. Newhome starts in Ontario will fall 5.4 percent to 80,500 units in 2005 from85,114 units in 2004. Home starts willcontinue to ease in 2006 to 75,200units.


Toronto and AreaThe Southern Tip

Provincial Government To Establish Action GroupTo Expand Apprenticeship Opportunities

Toronto—In September the Ontario governmentannounced that it will be establishing an action group thatwill provide advice on achieving the province’s goal of reg-istering 26,000 new apprentices each year.

“The brains and know-how of a skilled workforce arethe competitive edge of the 21st century and will ensureprosperity for our people,” Minister Bentley said. “We arecommitted to increasing the number of new apprentices by7,000 to a total of 26,000 each year by 2007-2008.

The group will be asked to identify successful appren-ticeship programs and how to support them. They will alsoidentify apprenticeship barriers and recommend ways toremove them. To support growth in the apprenticeshiptraining system, the government has:• Implemented the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit

to encourage more employers to hire and train appren-tices

• Announced the Apprenticeship Training Scholarshipand Employer Signing Bonus to support training andemployment for youth who have left school but requireacademic upgrading to be eligible for an apprenticeship

• Expanded delivery of the Co-op Diploma Apprentice-ship Program, which allows students to obtain a collegediploma while training as an apprentice, to 18 collegesand 1,000 spaces

• Increased funding for apprenticeship classroom train-ing to reach $11.7 million each year by 2006-07.

WSIB Announces Final Premium Rates For 2006Toronto—The Board of Directors of Ontario’s Workplace Safety

and Insurance Board (WSIB) has approved the final average premi-um rate for 2006. The 2006 average rate will be $2.26 for every $100of insurable earnings - a three per cent increase compared with thecurrent rate of $2.19. This is only the second time in the last 10 yearsthat the WSIB has raised the average premium rate. For the 10-yearperiod from 1995 to 2004, the average rate paid by Ontario’s employ-ers declined 27 per cent, from $3.00 to $2.19.

Earlier this year, the WSIB held a comprehensive series of infor-mation sessions for employer and worker representatives, coveringthe WSIB funding framework, premium rates and experience ratingprograms, as well as other aspects of the workplace safety and insur-ance system. www.wsib.on.ca.

LEED ProjectsToronto—MintoMidtown is a high-rise multi-resi-

dential development located centrally in midtownToronto. This complex features a 54-storey north towerand a 39-storey south tower. The design balances archi-tectural appeal, sustainable design and urban lifestyle.Current Phase: Under ConstructionBuilding Type: High-Rise ResidentialBuilding Size: 100340 m2Registration Date: 2005-09-28Occupancy Date: 2008-09-01

LEED Projects London—Sisters of St. Joseph Residence: This project will create a home

and office space to accommodate the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Diocese ofLondon. The building includes resident rooms, administration areas, chapeland dining areas. The building consists of native landscaping, geo thermalheating and cooling and non-potable water usage through the collection ofrainwater. Building Size: 3698 m2Registration Date: 2005-10-19Occupancy Date: 2007-03-31

Project a GoChatham—Although the amount is$900,000 higher than expected, the city isrejecting calls to put the brakes on a pro-posal for a $6.9 million contract that wouldsee the renovation of the Main StreetSchool into a community center. The costover run, blamed on the devastating hurri-cane season and skyrocketing prices forsteel, lumber and transportation expenseshas some saying the project should be heldoff for now. Initially, four general contrac-tors bid on the project, but only one bidcame in below the $6 million project esti-mate—and that contractor promptly with-drew his bid saying he had made a mathe-matical error. As a result, the town had tochoose from among the three remainingbids, which were clustered in the $6.8 to $7million range. The town is ready to awardthe job to R.A.C. Builders, Inc., for $6.9million. Though higher than the $6 milliontarget, the amount is still less than the $8million appropriated for the project inDecember 2005.


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Provincial Government To Establish Action Group ToExpand Apprenticeship Opportunities

Ontario—In September 2005 the Ontario governmentannounced that it is establishing an action group to provideadvice on achieving the province’s goal of registering 26,000new apprentices each year.

“The brains and know-how of a skilled workforce are thecompetitive edge of the 21st century and will ensure pros-perity for our people,” Minister Bentley said. “We are com-mitted to increasing the number of new apprentices by 7,000to a total of 26,000 each year by 2007-2008.

“The action group will be comprised of key participantsin the apprenticeship training system, including employers,labour, community leaders, educators and trainers. It willcomplement the important work performed by industry advi-sory committees. The first meeting will occur in October.

The group will be asked to identify successful apprentice-ship programs and how to support them. They will also iden-tify apprenticeship barriers and recommend ways to removethem. Other key areas will include encouraging more peopleand businesses to consider apprenticeships, and increasingcompletion rates.

To support growth in the apprenticeship training system,the government has:• Implemented the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit to

encourage more employers to hire and train apprentices• Announced the Apprenticeship Training Scholarship and

Employer Signing Bonus to support training and employ-ment for youth who have left school but require academicupgrading to be eligible for an apprenticeship

• Expanded delivery of the Co-op Diploma ApprenticeshipProgram, which allows students to obtain a college diplo-ma while training as an apprentice, to 18 colleges and1,000 spaces

• Increased funding for apprenticeship classroom trainingto reach $11.7 million each year by 2006-07.

Show a SuccessSudbury—Designed to help

students, teachers, educators andthe general public develop an opti-mistic view of occupations available inOntario’s industrial, commercial andinstitutional construction industry,Future Building 2005 was a four-day,hands-on construction career exhibi-tion, held in Sudbury this past year.In addition, the exhibition showcased thepartnerships of labour and managementworking together to build Ontario’s future.

Future Building 2005 provided a new under-standing of the construction industry to over 6100attendees, showing them many opportunities for arewarding and satisfying future.

The show’s target audience was elementary andhigh school students, teachers, parents, youth atrisk, adults considering a career change, the abo-riginal community and anyone interested inlearning more about the wealth of career opportu-nities available in Ontario’s construction industry.

The exhibition was a joint initiative, sponsoredby Human Resources DevelopmentCanada, the Ontario Ministry ofTraining, Colleges & Universitiesand the Ontario ConstructionSecretariat. Direct and in-kindinvolvement from the buildingtrade unions and managementrepresentatives who work inOntario’s unionized con-struction industry was a keypart of the exhibition.

Province Launches New Agency to Oversee Infrastructure Projects andFinancing

Ontario—The Ontario Government has largely embraced private funding ofmajor infrastructure projects in order to increase the available capital funding.The province is the largest buyer of construction in Ontario and this announce-ment indicates a shift to include private funding and a recognition that increasedinvestment in the province’s infrastructure is required. The Provincial Budget has$30.1 billion dollars earmarked for infrastructure investment over the next 5years. They are projecting $27.5 billion will be from the Province and the remain-ing $2.6 billion will be financed through private sector

The new agency “The Ontario Public Infrastructure Projects Corporation(OIPC) will have a mandate to develop and implement best practices in areas ofplanning, financing, construction and management with a focus on AlternativeFinancing.


Cent

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LEED ProjectsCambridge—CSL Industrial Com-

plex: The new 2000 square meterbuilding is a light industrial, multi-ten-ant use facility located on Thompson

Drive in Cambridge, Ontario. Eachunit consists of an office area and two-story storage bay. The building is in anindustrial park with the property over-

looking a green belt area known locallyas the Portuguese swamp. The building is

intended to showcase how a cost focused tenant spacecan still be built as a LEED building respectingresponsible energy use and conservation while mini-mizing the impact on the surrounding green belt area.Current Phase: DesignBuilding Size: 2000 m2


Construction Industry Welcomes Long-AwaitedTool to Project Labour Requirements

Ontario—A first-of-its-kind forecasting model wasreleased by the Construction Sector Council (CSC) thispast spring. It indicates a growing need for a mobile work-force able to move between provinces, industries and sec-tors to keep pace with the increased demand for skilledtrades. The model creates an assessment of demand for38 trades and occupations in every province, from 2005 to2013.

“This industry has long needed a sophisticated eco-nomic forecasting tool like this to help us with the why,where and when of on-time, on-budget project planning,”says Tim Flood, CSC business co-chair and president ofJohn Flood and Sons Ltd. “These projections are anexcellent starting point for analysis that can be refinedwith updated information—a new sharp tool for the riskmanagement tool box.”

Working with the CSC and senior economists, themodel was developed with input from owners, contrac-tors, labour groups and government representatives fromall provinces, and from all sectors of the industry whohave brought unique and relevant information to thetable. The result is a national summary and 10 provincial“Construction Looking Forward” reports for use byindustry stakeholders.

“These forecasts will go a long way to ensure the con-tinued growth of a major, multi-billion dollar industrythat is a barometer for Canada’s economy,” says BobBlakely CSC labour co-chair and director of CanadianAffairs for the Building and Construction Trades Depart-ment, AFL-CIO. “They will help guide human resourceplanning and policy, training curriculums, career plan-ning, and more,” he adds.

“Bringing together such a large network of stakehold-ers with key information like major projects, workers’ agedemographics, and available training is a groundbreakinginitiative for the construction industry. This type ofdetailed forecasting would not have been possible withoutthe significant contribution of more than 100 differentconstruction industry partners.” The national summaryforecast can be viewed at www.csc-ca.org.

New Multi-Sport ComplexplexHamilton—A new complex is well underway at

McMaster University in Hamilton. The $30 million devel-opment will include a triple gymnasia, indoor track, fitnesscentre, wellness centre and expanded medicine clinic. Thearchitect is Garwood-Jones and Hanham Architects. Thecontractor is Vanbots Construction Corporation. Con-struction has already begun and the new centre is sched-uled to open in spring 2006.


December Nov. 30 - Dec.02 Industry Event Construct Canada

January 2006 Friday Jan. 27 Seminar Design Considerations for a Severe Environment Location: The Old Mill

February Thursday, Feb. 9 Evening Presentation Proper Detailing and Repair of EIFS Wall Systems

TBD Field Trip Window/Glass Manufacturing Facility

March Thursday, March 23 Evening Presentation Building Code Round Table

April Thursday Apr. 13 Evening Presentation Retrofit Roofing Strategies

May Thursday, May 11 Evening Presentation Alternative Energy for Buildings

June Saturday, June 17 Banquet 17th Annual OBEC President’s Award Dinner

Please go to www.obec.on.ca for more details.

OBEC SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER 2005 TO JUNE 2006

For Advertising information please contact:Toll Free: 1-866-999-1299, Toll Free Fax: 1-866-244-2544

[email protected], [email protected]

Stop by and visit OBEC at Construct Canada.We will be located at the base of the main escalators on

November 30th and December 2nd, 2005.Enjoy the Show!

AIR BARRIERSNational Air Barrier Association . . . . . . . .11

AIR BARRIERS/WATERPROOFING/ROOFINGBakor Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

AIR, HEAT & MOISTURE CONTROLDryvit Systems Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC

ARCHITECTURAL FINISHING SYSTEMSDuRock Alfacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC

BASEMENT LEAK SPECIALISTSJAGG Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

BREATHABLE MEMBRANE SHEATHINGAlcan Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

BUILDING ENVELOPE EDUCATIONALPROGRAMSProfessional Development Centre Universityof Toronto Faculty of Applied Science &Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

BUILDING ENVELOPE ENGINEERS &CONSULTANTSJohn Bate & Associates Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . .17

BUILDING ENVELOPE SOLUTIONSBodycote Materials Testing Inc. . . . . . . . .25

BUILDING ENVELOPE SPECIALISTSColonial Building Restoration . . . . . . . . . .44

BUILDING PANELSGraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

BUILDING RESTORATION SPECIALISTSJ. McBride & Sons Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

BUILDING SCIENCE & RESTORATIONCONSULTANTSRead Jones Christoffersen Ltd. . . . . . . . . .37

COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGPROTECTIONSoprema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

CONCRETE PRODUCTSFisher - Wavy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

CONCRETE RESTORATION CONTRACTORRestorex Contracting Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

CONSULTING ENGINEERSKleinfeldt Consultants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Morrison Hershfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

CUSTOM AWNINGSIntext Awnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

DOOR MANUFACTURERArctic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

EIFS & RESTORATION PRODUCTSDurabond Products Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBC

G.E. SILICONES & ADHESIVESG.E. Advanced Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

HOTEL ACCOMODATIONSBest Western Dryden Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

INSULATIONOttawa Fibre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

INSULATION BLOWING & SPRAYEQUIPMENTStar Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

MASONRYMortar Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

METAL ROOFING & SIDING PRODUCTSTriumph Aluminum Sheet Metal Inc. . . . . .34

METAL WALL & ROOF SYSTEMSVic West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

METAL WALL SYSTEMS & ROOFING

Flynn Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

RESTORATION CONTRACTOR

Unique Restoration Ltd. . . . . . . . . .13, 15, 17

RESTORATION SERVICES

Alto Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

ROLL SHUTTERS

Intext Awnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

ROOF CONSULTING & BUILDING ENVELOPE

TECHNOLOGY

Premier/Levaque Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

SPRAY-ON BUILDING WRAP

Sto Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

STONE

Arriscraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

SUSTAINABLE ROOFING SOLUTIONS

Sarnafil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

URETHANE FOAM CONTRACTORS

CUFCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

VAPOUR BARRIER

El Dupont Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

WINDOW MANUFACTURER

Northern Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

WINDOWS/DOORS/CURTAIN WALL

SYSTEMS

Fulton Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45


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